Residents worried about growing sinkhole in Castle Hayne neighborhood

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — All the rain yesterday is making a New Hanover County neighborhood’s problem even bigger. Residents say a large sink hole is being ignored, and they’re worried things will only get worse before they get better.

“The only thing holding the roadway together at this time is the asphalt,” resident Duane Eastmond said.

But as the sinkhole on Mossy Rock Court in Castle Hayne gets worse, residents say everyone they turn to for help passes the blame.

“The developer never handed anything over to a homeowner’s association. The county says that we’re a private road, although there is nothing on any of the signs that say that we’re a private road, and the biggest limbo is who is responsible to pay,” Eastmond said.

Residents have tried to figure out where the buck and the responsibility stops. They say they’re worried if something is not done soon, someone is going to get seriously hurt.

“There are a lot of small children that play in this area. People always ride their bikes on this road. It’s a serious safety issue,” Eastmond said.

New Hanover County says it will repair the sinkhole, because the road being blocked off is a public safety concern. Despite what some residents think, the county says residents will not be held accountable for the expense to fix the sinkhole.

The real question is when will the work be done?

The county says it has started taking contracts on fixing the sinkhole. A spokesperson says with the holidays coming up, though, it may take longer than usual to fix the problem.

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Why should residents be surprised. All government does is take tax money to pay themselves and then procrastinate.

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Carol Kramer

2015 years 8 months ago

As a matter of interest, if a developer builds a development and the road is never turned over to the county or the community, why isn’t the developer responsible for repairs? If it is a private road, why is the county even involved? If the county fixes the road (at county taxpayer expense), will the county try to recoup the cost from either the developer or the homeowners? In short, what are the rules here? Clearly it is a real hazard and needs fixing…but in the end who should pay and who will pay? Should county taxpayers be paying to fix a private developer’s problem? Is the developer bankrupt, is that it?

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Guest8099

2015 years 8 months ago

I am a resident affected tremendously. We can’t take out trash out for pickup nor can the mail lady deliver our mail. The alternate road is so muddy our car can’t go down it. If there was an emergency the ambulance nor firefighters could reach us. We are suppose to have Thanksgiving Dinner here but it looks like we have to cancel our family event. Its sad because our family just moved back home and purchased this home over the summer after spending 4 long years in the military. It would be nice for my husband to have family gathering in our home since deployment and missions have taken this away but now our sink hole will take that away. I hope people realize how serious this is and take action SOON